Yay, I'm alive! Ok but in all seriousness, this should have been updated long ago. I apologize for the wait. Writing my newest story has sort of reignited my passion for writing these stories. And to make up for the lack of an update, I've made this chapter longer than others to try to compensate. Anyway, I hope you all like it. And I'll announce this now, I'll be rotating my story updates from now on. So that'll be interesting. Hopefully it will keep me from just stopping in the middle of a story. Hopefully. Anyway, onto the chapter.
Chapter 14
"The beach. I wonder what Shirou has in store?"
It had only been a couple of moments, but with Nimbus, Shirou and Saber had arrived at the beach quite quickly. They would've thought that Goku was the Rider class if he hadn't blurted out he was a Lancer during training. Upon arriving, the two quickly hopped off of Nimbus' back and onto the sand below. With the moon just above the water, it looked like some place straight out of a fairy tale. Although, it could be argued that she was straight out of a fairy tale. A question for another time.
"Ok Nimbus, can you wait here for a little while for me?" Shirou asked.
To both of their surprises, Nimbus seemed to expand slightly before returning to normal.
"Huh. Guess that's a yes. Alright Saber, you ready?"
"Ready? Ready for what, Shirou?"
"Well, we're at the beach. What do you think people do here?"
"Um…" Saber looked around her, "…Play in the sand?"
"Well, yeah. But is there anything else?"
"I'm afraid I can't think of anything."
"We play in the water. I did tell you I'd show you the ocean didn't I?"
Saber stood stupefied for a moment, unable to think of an answer. Or even a reason for her master's kindness. Until she realized that, that's just who her master was, a kind person with a just heart. She really couldn't believe he was Kiritsugu's son. Once Saber cleared her thoughts, she realized something. There was this familiar and warm aura exuding from Shirou, if he knew, he wasn't showing it. Taking a second look at him, Saber also noticed something else. Something she had failed to properly recognize earlier in the battle against Assassin. The sword in his hand. The sword in his hand.
"Shirou, that sword…"
"Hm?"
They both looked toward the sword in his hand.
"Oh, you said you wanted to know how I got a hold of it, right? Well, I don't really know myself."
"That's not what I'm wondering about, Shirou. You know what that sword is, correct?"
"Yeah. It's Caliburn, the sword you pulled from the stone to become King of…" He trailed off.
It had finally dawned on both of them. Caliburn, the Sword of Victory, the sword that would choose the King of England. It wouldn't comply if it's wielder was unworthy. In the past, Saber had pulled it from the stone, and unbenounced to her, Shirou had done something similar.
"Uhm… Would you like to know how I got it?"
She replied without hesitation. "Yes."
Tohsaka Manor
Rin knew something was wrong the moment she felt Goku's energy somewhere other than her own home. She had woken up from her sleep upon feeling a wave of energy rush over her from Ryuudou Temple. And she wasn't foolish enough to not know whose energy it was. Her only real concern was why he was there in the first place.
"Hmm, I can't exactly go back to sleep now. Now I have too much to think about. Why the hell would he just… Strange. I thought I heard noise from the kitchen. Well, no matter. I'll just have to wait until he gets back to… Alright, who the hell is in my house?!"
Rin started storming down the steps to the kitchen, charging a Gandr shot on the way. Whoever was in there, was really in for it.
"And… Gotcha!" The full power Gandr shot hit its mark.
"OW! Rin, what'd you go and do that for? I thought we were a team?"
"G-Goku?" The realization of what she did sunk in, red working its way up her face. "Why the hell are you sneaking around in the kitchen?! And where did you go? And… And why is your shirt nearly gone?!"
Goku scratched the back of his head, it was a habit of his. "Well… Let's just say things got a little hectic at the temple."
"Explanation. Now."
"Uh-oh."
Shirou was about ankle deep in the water. He took off his socks and shoes and rolled his pants up to his kneecaps. "I'm telling you Saber, the water isn't going to hurt you. It's safe, see?" Shirou kicked water in her direction, but her protection from the Lady of the Lake stopped it from touching her. He had somehow managed to convince her to take her armor off as it would be more of a hindrance in water, but getting her in the water, that's a whole 'nother problem.
"I don't know Shirou. What if I get swept away like some empty bottle?"
"Then I'd swim to you and bring you back to land."
"That's not the point Shirou, it's just…" Saber trailed off.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Saber? You can tell me."
"I-I can't swim."
"… Oh."
"Y-Yeah. I'm sorry Shirou. My inability to swim has ruined your plans."
"N-No, Saber. If anything, this is a good opportunity to learn how to swim."
"Really?"
"Of course. And besides, people are actually more buoyant in salt water."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. The salt mixes with the water making it slightly denser than just fresh water or pool water. Making things float better. Again, this is a great chance to learn something new."
"I-I see. Then, I will accept your offer."
"Great, let's get started. But first, you do need to be in the water."
Saber's face flushed slightly. "O-Of course!"
Shirou couldn't help but chuckle.
Rin was obviously ticked off, she was even doing that thing where you tap your arm constantly. After finding out that her servant left in the middle of the night to save a different master wasn't lost on her. To try and alleviate her oncoming headache, she held the bridge of her nose. "So, explain why I couldn't sense you coming in again?"
"Because I can suppress my energy output. It's similar to that spiritual form other servant's can use, except I can't actually turn invisible."
"And why did you feel the need to hide your presence from me?"
"Well… I thought you were asleep, so I tried to-"
She snapped. "You literally sent shockwaves throughout the city with your little escapade! How could I stay asleep knowing that you just left me here on my own!? What would you have done if another servant came and took me away, or worse!?"
Goku didn't respond, trying to make himself look smaller as if to avoid something. Women were any Saiyan's weakness after all.
Rin just let out a long sigh. Clearly, this discussion was going nowhere. "We still have a couple of hours before school starts. I suggest we go over what we know about our situation. Now that both Caster and Assassin have been killed, that only leaves 5 servants, 6 if you count the guy you mentioned from the temple a little while ago. There's Saber, Lancer, You, Rider, and Berserker. We're already in an alliance with Emiya, so Saber shouldn't attack us out of the blue. You and Lancer are on good terms, so unless his master orders an attack, he shouldn't be a problem either. When it comes to Berserker, well Vegeta, I trust you to fight him to a stalemate at the least and beating him at the most. You also mentioned he's unlocked your Super Saiyan transformation. So at least damage him enough so that Saber can finish him off if need be, or finish him off yourself."
"Rin, you know I wouldn't-"
"Yes, I'm aware that you aren't very fond of killing others. It's not in your nature to do so. From what I've seen, the only exception is that Frieza guy. But that's besides the point. Rider is the only puzzle left for us to solve. We know her master is one of the students at Homurahara, it's all but confirmed from our earlier incident with them on campus. Now that I say it out loud, our only real threats are Rider and Vegeta. Aside from the mystery servant from the temple that is."
"From my standpoint, the real threat is the mystery guy from earlier. His weapons are fast and strong enough to harm both Vegeta and myself. Meanwhile, I'm quite certain that Saber can deal with Rider by herself. And I can probably figure something out with Vegeta."
"I didn't know you could be that tactical about this kind of stuff Goku."
"I guess you're rubbing off on me. And my martial arts background helps a little bit too. Helps me maintain focus when I need to. And speaking of Rider, I believe I know who her master is."
"Really? Who?"
"Well, I don't actually know his name. But his hair was blue and it kind of looked like seaweed."
"You've got to be shitting me…"
"Do you know who it is, Rin?"
"-Sigh- Yes. It's Shinji."
"Shinji?"
"The lousy good-for-nothing who does nothing but creep on girls!"
Goku blinked in surprise at her sudden outburst. "Sounds like you don't like him all that much."
"Why would I?! He's despicable! Everytime I see him, he's with some new girl he found in one of the school hallways. Not to mention that he hates Emiya."
"He does?"
"I don't know when it started, but yeah. At this point, the only one who doesn't know would be Emiya himself. But he's probably just trying to see the good in him. If there's any left that is."
"Strange, I'll have to ask him later. You know what, I might as well just go check on him. It's almost daybreak and Nimbus hasn't returned yet. So I'll go make sure nothing bad happened while they were on their way back while I'm at it."
"Hm? Sure, go ahead. I can get to school on my own anyway. And it's not like it'll be the first time you've left me to fend for myself."
"Again, I'm sorry. And thanks, Rin. See you after class."
With that, Goku walked out the door and flew off towards Shirou's place.
"Hm, they did get home. Ah, there he is."
Goku had just gotten to Shirou's place when he noticed that Nimbus was waiting out back. Flying down, he noticed Shirou sitting next to Nimbus on the porch.
"Hey Shirou."
"Oh, Goku. I didn't expect you to come over, I probably would've made food for you."
"Well, what's stopping you?"
"Haha, I guess that's true. Come in, I'll make something real quick. But keep quiet, Fuji-nee and Sakura are sleeping in the other room."
Goku excitedly whispered back. "Understood!"
Walking behind Shirou, Goku noticed that he looked a little damp, and smelled like salt. "Did you go to the beach Shirou? You smell like the ocean."
"You can smell that kind of stuff huh? Yeah, I took Saber there after we left the temple. Sorry for not telling you that we were taking Nimbus."
"Don't worry about it. Nimbus hasn't been getting enough love recently after I learned to fly. But did you guys have fun?"
"I think so…"
"Well, at least there's that right?"
"That's true. Ok, the omelet is done."
"Wait, you already cooked it?"
"Yeah?"
"That was so fast, I didn't even notice you started."
"I'll take that as a compliment. Now dig in, before it cools down."
"Right."
The two enjoyed their time together. Goku asking how it was going to school with Rin and Shirou asking about his training schedule.
"About that…"
"Hm, is my training going to change?"
"Yes and no. I'll still be teaching you, but I won't be the one teaching you."
"I don't get it."
"And neither do I."
The two looked toward the hallway to see Saber standing there with a nightgown on.
Shirou's face flushed slightly while Goku thought nothing of it. "Hey there Saber. Now that I think about it, you should be able to join in on his training too."
"Oh really? Well, are you going to explain?"
"Oh yeah, you'll be doing image training."
Shirou just looked even more confused than he already was. "Image… training?"
"Yeah, I can help get you started, but you'll be the one in charge. We can start tomorrow after school, how does that sound? Is that acceptable, Saber?"
"It is fine. As long as I can watch him, I do not mind."
"Ok then, I just came by to check in since Nimbus hadn't returned yet. So I'll be heading off, see ya tomorrow Shirou, you too Saber."
"Farewell."
"Right, later Goku. Here, let me open the door."
Shirou walked past Goku, opened the door, and saw one of his teachers fly off with Nimbus in tow towards Rin's place.
The two sat in comfortable silence for a moment after Goku had left.
"Hey Saber?"
"Hm?"
"You want an omelet?"
He chuckled at how fast her head was nodding.
Homurahara School
"Hold on just a second, Tohsaka. Is Shinji actually a master?"
"From the information that Goku had told me, yes. Although I don't truly count him as a mage."
"Well then, what's the plan?"
"Plan?"
"Yeah, the plan. Even if he isn't a mage like you said, he was still the one who put up that field around the school. Aren't you worried that he, I don't know, might activate it?"
"Well…"
Too late. A Bounded Field had been activated, and all the inscriptions around the school were lighting up one by one. Soon after, a massive eye could be seen floating in the sky. It had a dark red iris and a rectangle for a pupil. Arcs of red lightning could be seen surrounding the entirety of the school grounds. It looked like they were feeding into the eye itself.
"The hell is going on?" Shirou said while propping himself up against a wall within one of the hallways.
"Keep generating mana within your body, Emiya. If you're not careful, you could die from a lack of it."
"That's… reassuring. Wait, what about Sakura and Fuji-nee?!"
Before Rin could even respond, Shirou had begun sprinting through the halls. Thankfully, the hall monitor seemed to be away at the moment. As the two moved passed room after room, they all had the same situation. The students and teachers were having their od drained right out of their bodies. As a result, they had all fallen unconscious in various places. Something that unsettled Rin was that Shirou didn't seem to be fazed by the scenes around them, but that was a question for another time. Finally, they made it to their classroom to find everyone in the same state as all the others. Moving through the bodies on the floor, Shirou knelt by both Taiga and Sakura to check their breathing. To his relief, they were both just fine, for now that is.
"They're both breathing. If we hurry, we can save them and everyone else from this mess. But first we need to find Shinji and take down this field."
"I can't reach Goku, this field must be cutting off communications with our servants. So we're on our own for now. I'm also sensing the origin point of the field down on the first floor, we should hurry and destroy it."
"Agreed. Alright then, let's move!"
Together, the two made their way down to the first floor and towards the Chemistry Room. Upon entry…
"AGH-"
Shirou was hit into the Janitors Closet by the enemy servant.
"Just like that, Rider! That's the way! Right where he belongs!"
"That's enough, Shinji! Take down this field or I'll blow your head clean off!"
"Huh? Oh, Tohsaka, you're here too? How convenient, now I can rid the both of you at the same time! Rider!"
"Master, we need to leave."
"Huh? And why would we do that? You've already beaten Emiya, now all that's left is her! Now finish the job!"
"… As you wish."
"Uh-oh."
Rin held up her hands in an attempt to block whatever was coming her way. But it never did. Looking up, she saw a man wearing a black martial arts gi and a red staff over his back holding Rider's metal stake in his hand.
"Sorry I'm late, Rin. It took more than I thought to break into this place."
Saying that, Goku flung Rider towards the opposite side of the room, right next to the Janitors Closet.
"It- It's you! How did you get in?! HOW?!"
"How? Simple, I just punched the barrier really hard until there was a hole big enough to walk through."
Both masters looked at him like he was crazy.
"Only you Goku, only you. Anyway, deal with Rider. Emiya and I can handle Shinji."
"Actually Rin, leave it to Shirou. This will be good training for him, fighting in a place like this. Kinda reminds me of the gravity chamber, except the gravity chamber doesn't kill you."
"Not the time Goku, go help him. I don't want an angry Saber on our tail because of you."
"Trust me on this one Rin. Besides, Rider's energy is the weakest of all the servants in this war right now. I'm sure he'll be fine."
"Why aren't they helping me?!"
Shirou had managed to free himself from the closet he was in, bringing a reinforced mop with him. Looking to his left he locked eyes with the enemy servant, and just as quickly, he began to defend himself from the onslaught of attacks at his person. He couldn't help but notice that Goku and Tohsaka were watching him from the sidelines.
"At least she isn't as fast as she was a couple of days ago. I can actually keep up this time! Hyah!"
With a well timed jab with his mop, he struck Rider in the gut. Even with the mask that covered her eyes, it was clear to see that she was surprised at the sudden counterattack. Goku had at least taught him how to wield something that wasn't a sword, the example being the Power Pole that was on Goku's back. But this put them at a somewhat even playing field. Rider was faster than he was, but the mop in his hands gave him more range to attack from. If Rider wasn't careful, she'd be hit again.
To his surprise, Rider actually made distance between them. He wasn't complaining. Saber had taught him that these moments in combat were used to reassess your opponent. And taking a second look, he noticed that she was slightly panting while trying to discreetly hold her stomach. He hadn't hit her that hard, had he?
"If you won't attack, then I will!"
Shirou rushed towards Rider with speed that surprised them both, and started his assault. He jabbed at all possible openings with his trusty mop, and when she wasn't paying full attention, he'd close the gap and start using the martial arts he'd learned. By the end of it, they were both out of breath, but Shirou was clearly winning this fight.
"How? How?! HOW?! This shouldn't be possible?! She's a servant and he's just a third rate! He shouldn't be winning?! A fluke. It has to be a fluke!"
"Call it whatever you want, Shinji. But it's clear that Emiya is stronger than you… no, than we thought."
"Haha, that training sure came in handy. Can't wait for- uh oh."
"What's that supposed to mean? Hey, where are you going?!"
Goku didn't answer her as he ran in front of Shirou, pulling his Power Pole off his back and twirling it at speeds so fast it couldn't be seen by a normal person's naked eye. Just as he did, red streaks of light came flying through the window. The ones that were coming towards Shirou were all deflected by Goku. But the ones that shot towards Rider…
Mangled wasn't even the right word to describe how messed up the image was. Dozens of red arrow like objects were embedded into her body, she was practically a pincushion at this point. It didn't help that some of the ones deflected by Goku had hit her on accident. And as the arrows began to fade, so did she. Everything just faded into motes of red and yellow light. Following Rider's disappearance, the field that was surrounding the school began to fade as well.
"What… just happened?"
"I must admit, your reaction times are just as good as you've made them out to be, Goku."
From the broken window, a man in a red mantle came flying in.
"Hey there CGE, didn't expect to see you here."
"I didn't think so either, until I got trapped inside that barrier from before. And I won't say it again, do not call me that."
Rin quietly made her way behind Goku. "Wait, Goku, do you know him?"
"Yeah, although what just happened wasn't part of our deal."
"Shit happens, Goku. Those arrows were a mistake on my part." The man said, holding both his hands up in a sign of an attempt at peace.
"Wait, deal? Goku, what is he talking about? And don't even think about lying to your master."
"It's… complicated. But a deal is a deal, right? I'm holding up my end, so you hold up yours. And I suggest you leave before Saber gets here."
"Heh, I'll take you up on that." Before leaving, the man looked behind Goku and Rin and directly at Shirou. It was like he was looking directly into his soul. He couldn't help but smirk. "Not bad kid, not bad."
As the man disappeared, Saber made her entrance. "Shirou?! Are you hurt?"
"Haha, don't worry Saber. I'm fine."
"Put some faith in your master Saber, Emiya here just fought a servant, and won."
"You did what?"
"H-Hey, don't look at me like that. Goku said I'd be fine, and I am."
"So it was Goku then."
It was more ominous than Goku thought it would be when Saber slowly turned her head to look at him with her blade drawn.
"Calm down Saber, you heard what Rin said right? Shirou beat Rider."
"You had him fight a servant."
"An extremely weakened servant. I wouldn't have done that if I thought Shirou would lose. Come on, you should know me decently well by now, right?"
"Fine." Both Goku and Shirou visibly relaxed at her word. "But as punishment, the new training will begin tonight."
"W-Wait, Saber. I'm still exhausted after my fight with-"
"Tonight."
"Yes ma'am!"
With Shirou doing a salute to Saber while Goku just laughed, they had forgotten that Rin and Shinji were watching, both being completely dumbfounded by what they were witnessing.
The two masters and servants were bringing all the unconscious students and teachers out into the hallways where it would be easier for the first responders to help them. And by that, I mean Shirou, Saber, and Goku pulling Rin's part with him.
"I must admit Emiya, you're quite level headed. You know how to treat people with respect for their injuries. It's something I can't do with confidence yet."
"It's nothing special. I guess you could say I'm already used to stuff like this."
"Hm? Stuff like what?"
"…Lifeless bodies."
Both Rin and Saber stopped what they were doing to properly look at the boy while Goku just had a solemn look on his face, like he saw that coming.
"Emiya, what do you mean-"
"Remember the Fuyuki Fire, Tohsaka?"
"Of course. It's one of the greatest tragedies to happen in our time. Wait, you can't be serious…"
"That's right. Out of all those people that were affected, I was the only one to survive that hellscape."
Rin just looked down to the floor, no doubt feeling slightly guilty for bringing up something that was obviously not the happiest of times for him. But to her surprise, Saber walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Shirou's face softened before he smiled and got back to work on helping the other students. Clearly she was missing something that she shouldn't have missed.
"I'm going to call the church. They deal with these types of situations. As much as I hate to call that fake priest, we don't really have much of a choice right now."
"Ok then. After you're done, I'll call emergency services and once they arrive we can leave out one of the back entrances."
Rin swiftly left to go find a phone in one of the corridors of the building with Goku following closely behind, leaving Shirou alone with Saber.
"Hey Rin, do you really think it was best to leave them alone back there?"
"…"
"Rin?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry Goku. I guess what Emiya said was on my mind."
"About him being 'used to it'?"
"Yeah, that. I'm such an idiot for even choosing to continue with the subject. I should've just ended it after he asked me what the Fuyuki Fire was."
"I doubt you would've known that though. It looked like even Saber didn't know about it, and she's his servant. So don't get so down on yourself Rin."
"-sigh- Thanks Goku, I needed that."
"Hehe, don't mention it."
"Ok, here's the phone, just one second. 'Hello, Kirei? Yes, this is Tohsaka. No shut up, this isn't me being a bad student. We had an incident at school, a master put a bounded field around it and began draining the people inside of their mana. Yeah, exactly. That's what I said. No, there aren't any dead people… I think. Anyway, can you come by and take care of it? You can? Ok. Ok, bye.' He said he can have it fixed up in 15 minutes.
"That's pretty fast."
"Well, from what I gathered, he used to be an executor. It's only natural that you take care of such things as efficiently and effectively as possible."
"Nice going Rin. Now, what do you say about heading back to Shirou and Saber and telling them the good news?"
"I think that's a great idea. I just hope nothing happened while we were gone. Well, it was only a couple of minutes anyway. What could've happened?"
"Hey, Shirou."
"Don't worry, Saber. I'm fine. Or at least, I think I am."
"Do you want to talk about it? You don't have to if you don't feel like sharing."
"…The earliest thing I can remember is being surrounded by flames. Buildings were crumbling and the people beneath them could do nothing. They all screamed for help. They screamed at me for help. But I couldn't do anything. All I could do was watch. As I walked, that was all I did. Watch, and watch, and watch. Until eventually, it was my turn. I fell down, the smoke was filling my lungs and my legs felt like they weren't even there anymore." At this point, Shirou was sat on the ground against a wall, his hands were over his head. "Then, I looked up to the sky. Waiting for my turn to finally come. But as I reached up to the sky, a hand had caught mine. It was Kiritsugu, my adoptive father. He looked at me and cried saying 'You're alive. You're alive.' I could tell that he had managed to save himself while saving me. And I've always wondered if I could ever smile like he did on that day. And I kept questioning myself, 'Why was it me? Why was I saved, and not someone else?' I just couldn't stop thinking."
Saber stood still, trying to process all of what she had just heard. But she understood enough, enough to know that her master was hurting. And that was enough for her. She dematerialized her armor and sat next to Shirou, and gave him a hug. Nothing more, nothing less, just a plain hug.
"I doubt I will be able to fully understand what you have gone through. Maybe I never will, but know this. I will always be here for you."
When Shirou looked up, Saber noticed that his eyes had lost their usual color. Now, they looked dull, lifeless. It hurt her more than she thought it ever would. She hugged him even tighter, and he did the same, as if begging her not to disappear.
"Thank you, Saber."
"Your welcome, Shirou."
Off in some distant land covered in rusted iron and blood, with swords as far as the eye could see, a single patch of grass had begun to grow. A single ray of sunshine parting the clouds over it. And a small flower bloomed, right beneath a golden scabbard and a golden sword.
"Dammit. Dammit. Dammit! DAMMIT!"
Shinji had been in hiding after the events that went down on the school grounds a couple of hours ago. After making sure the coast was clear, he left his spot in a nearby alley way and went straight towards the church. He had been told that it would be a safe haven for masters that were no longer in the running for the Holy Grail.
It had taken longer than he had hoped, but he made it to the church. He burst the doors open, and stared at the priest standing in the middle of the walkway.
"It has been six days since this war has commenced, but you are the first to arrive. I take it you wish to withdraw from the war?"
"Of course I do! Do you want me to die?! Without a servant, I'm just an ordinary human. Unable to kill anyone, and no longer a master. This whole thing is completely unfair! People will come to kill me and I can't do anything back!"
The priest only looked at the boy in front of him.
"You got a problem with that?"
"No, of course not. You are the first to withdraw from this war and the first to use this church's services since it was founded. You will get every hospitality we have."
"W-Wait. You're saying that I'm the only one knocked out?"
"No, there were others. But you are the only one who chose to accept our services."
"Well, at least I'm not last. Now, I won't have to tell grandfather about this. What am I saying? It's all his fault! He's the one who stuck me with that crappy excuse for a Rider class!"
"Hm? Then Rider was of no use to you?"
"You're damn right! After everything I did, she went and lost to Emiya of all people! Emiya!"
"Wait, you're saying your servant lost to a human?"
"Yeah. If I had had any other servant, he would be dead by now! If I had a better servant, then that damned Lancer wouldn't be a problem!"
"Lancer?"
"Yeah, Tohsaka's servant. He's way too damn strong for her to have. It's basically cheating!"
"Then what if I told you, there was another servant available? That there was a way to get your revenge against those that wronged you."
"What are you saying?"
"You are most fortunate boy. There is indeed a servant available for you."
"My head hurts. Shirou, give me another serving."
"Fuji-nee, it's your fourth serving already. You should slow down."
"I can't, not after what happened at the school yesterday."
"Yeah, basically everyone got anemia. It gave me quite a scare when I came down from the roof."
"I still can't believe you were going to skip class. But that's not the point. No one knows what actually caused the whole mess."
"They said it had something to do with chemicals in an empty classroom on the first floor right, Ms. Fujimura?"
"That's right, Saber. They spent all night scouring the building from top to bottom and that's all they could come up with, unbelievable."
"But the good news is that the students in the hospital will be going home soon, right Fuji-nee?"
Huh, yeah. Though it'll differ from person to person, most are able to go back home today. Oh, this must be about Sakura right?"
"Yeah. I got worried when she left for the hospital. It's good to know that she's alright."
"I bet she'll be happy to see you."
Rin had made it through the gates of the school, looking around she was glad that so many students managed to come back so soon. She had also spotted Shirou walking towards the main building. After what happened yesterday, and what he told her, she decided to give him some space.
"Rin, can you hear me?"
"Goku? Yeah, I can. What's wrong? You usually don't talk to me like this."
"It's that Shinji guy, he isn't here today."
"That makes sense. His servant got beaten by Emiya just last night. I know I wouldn't show up if that happened."
"Yeah, but I can sense another servant on or near the grounds. It's that guy I told about from the temple. Their energy signature's are the same."
"What? Why would he be here?"
"I don't know, but be careful. We don't know if there's another master here or not. And keep an eye on Shirou for me."
"Hm, fine. Can you at least tell me what he looks like?"
"Yeah. His most prominent features are his golden hair and his red eyes. He also wore a black jumper or something similar."
"Hm, ok. Thanks Goku."
"That's what I'm here for."
Looking back to Shirou, he was just about to reach the main building.
"Wait, Emiya!"
"Huh?"
"Let's stick together today."
"What's with the sudden change?"
"I can't just tell him we might be screwed. It's Goku's advice."
"Oh, alright then."
"Of course he listens to Goku."
"This was meant to be a normal walk home, like every other day. Why am I hiding behind a lamppost stalking this guy?!"
Rin was walking home, like she normally did, when she spotted something she didn't like. It was Sakura, she was outside her house and she was talking with a strange man, who seemed oddly familiar. Scratch that, he was extremely familiar. It was the guy that Goku described just a couple of hours ago. He had gold colored hair and red eyes, with what looked like a biker's jacket on. He fit the criteria that Goku had given her. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she didn't need to to know that she wouldn't like it.
"Hey, Tohsaka- Wait!"
Shirou had walked up behind her, clearly oblivious to what was going on in front of them. Quickly, she pulled him to an alleyway next to the lamppost she was hiding behind.
"You idiot, can't you see what's happening?"
"No, I can't say that I do. What's happening?"
"Remember that gold guy from the temple?"
"Don't tell me…"
"He's in front of Sakura's house talking to her." The two peeked out of the alleyway to see him start to walk their way. "Wait, here he comes!"
They quickly did a 180 and went back into the alleyway. They couldn't help but sweat when they heard his footsteps getting closer and closer, until…
"Hey."
…they heard Goku's voice from around the corner.
"What do you want, Mongrel? Here to submit?"
"No, I didn't quit against Vegeta, there's no way I would to you."
"You have a death wish then? I can oblige."
Multiple golden portals began to appear from behind him.
"Sorry, but I don't plan on leaving this world until I win that grail."
"Then you should leave now. The grail is already mine."
"I don't see it on you?"
"You fool! I own all this world's treasures! There is nothing that I do not have, the grail is no exception."
"Then why are you fighting for it if you already have it?"
"It's quite simple. So that you fools know who the rightful owner is."
Goku just tilted his head. "But… you just said that you already had it?"
"That's enough! Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall, I'm losing brain cells."
Just like that, the man left in a cloud of golden light. A good moment had gone by before Goku spoke up again.
"-sigh- Alright you two, you can come out now."
"…"
"Guys."
Rin and Shirou came out from around the corner. Shirou was the one who spoke up.
"Thanks Goku, but you didn't have to do that."
"I think I did. Any closer and he would've noticed you two around that bend."
"Wait, really? But we were hidden."
"Of course he would have. He's a servant after all."
"I… guess that's true."
"Anyway, Emiya. You're here to see Sakura right?"
"How'd you figure that?"
"Well, if you put the pieces together, it's quite obvious."
"Is that so? Yeah, that's true. I wanted to make sure she was doing alright. But, why are you here Tohsaka? I'm here for Sakura, but what about you?"
"Well, I was a little worried about her as well. She treats me differently, she isn't nice because of who I am, that's just how she is. Actually, there's something I want to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Hypothetically speaking… How do you think someone would feel growing up is they'de been given for adoption to another family, without having any say in the matter?"
"…"
"Emiya?"
"I don't think they'd feel one way or the other about it. If the home is nice, they wouldn't complain. But if it wasn't, then they would, right?"
"I see. So that's how you view things. Thank you, Emiya."
"Sure, no problem."
After that, the two went their separate ways. Shirou going to see if Sakura was doing alright, and Rin…
"Hey Goku."
"What's up? Is it that question from earlier?"
"Yeah. I want your input as well."
"Hmm. If I had to go with something, I think I'd feel sad for a while. But what Shirou said is true too. If my new family was nice, I wouldn't complain about it. Does that make sense?"
"It does, in its own way. Thank you Goku."
"No problem Rin. Anyway, what's for dinner?"
"-sigh- Again, only you Goku, only you."
End of the fourteenth chapter
I had originally planned to stop this after the flower bloomed in Shirou's inner world. But nah, I can do more. And do more I did, about 3500 words more actually. Anyway, as with the new upload schedule, the next update will be 'A Certain Saiyan Warrior'. See you all nextime!